Transformational Spells In The Book Of The Dead

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The book of the Dead is an ancient text that dates back to around 1600 BC, and contains roughly 190 “chapters”, or spells. The spells used in this book vary from each chapter, but all pertain to one specific goal…the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians focused on their afterlife just as much if not more than their current lives and many of the rituals they performed were instructed by a text or papyrus. This was done so that they could enjoy their afterlife and avoid all possible dangers when moving on. The Book of the Dead is broken down into larger groups of the 190 chapters but the one I will be focusing on is the section called Transformational Spells. In the section of Transformational Spells there are about 15 different chapters, each giving instructions on how to become or transform into some sort of a divine being, object, or animal. The spell I will be analysing is spell 77, “The Formula for Taking…show more content…
When speaking of lengths the falcon is four cubits; a cubit is an ancient method of measurement where one cubit is equal to the length of the forearm, elbow to the tip of the middle finger. A falcon of four cubits in length is roughly 1.83 meters, or 6 feet. This shows that the falcon is very large in size and also very powerful, these traits are projected onto the individual wanting to become this falcon. The wings of the falcon are also very important because they are formed from greenstone--a beautiful jade colored rock. This rock was once a solid form of lava and is very tough; making the being that is made of it also very tough. The greenstone contributes to this divine being by making him difficult to take down and almost impossible to break through; a key trait to have when moving on to the afterlife when coming across any obstacles. Now that the bird has started his flight he must also visit the mountains of Egypt to see if he is eligible to keep moving

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